NBA GM claims Portland Trail Blazers could try to dump salary in potential Damian Lillard trade

A new report claims that if the Portland Trail Blazers do trade Damian Lillard this offseason, they could try and add another major contract to potential deals.

This will be a very interesting next few weeks for the Portland Trail Blazers. Despite adding a talented big man last summer, impressive play from Anfernee Simons, and a big bounce-back year for team superstar Damian Lillard, the roster had a terrible showing this season and needs to make changes.

Related: Portland Trail Blazers draft preview – 5 NBA Draft targets

Their 33-49 record had them well short of being able to compete in the NBA play-in tournament and landed them in this year’s NBA Draft lottery. That’s why it is not surprising that their showing this season has also rekindled speculation the Portland Trail Blazers could trade team legend Damian Lillard this summer.

Portland Trail Blazers record (’22-’23): 33-49

While there have been rumblings the organization would rather hold on to Lillard and trade their top pick in the 2023 NBA Draft for impact players, there is still a chance they could decide to do what has been talked about for years.

In any potential Damian Lillard trade, the Portland Trail Blazers are assured a strong return. However, one NBA general manager believes they could use a trade to help off-load unfavorable contracts.

On Friday, Heavy.com NBA insider Sean Deveney was told by a league executive the Portland Trail Blazers could ask to include center Jusuf Nurkic in a deal for Damian Lillard. The GM’s belief is “you can get yourself really set up for rebuilding” by shedding the three years left on Nurkic’s $70 million contract and would improve the return for interested teams.

While Nurkic has had problems staying on the floor over the last few seasons, he is a legitimate starting-caliber center and averaged over 13 points and just shy of 10 rebounds per game this season. Furthermore, he is only 28 and is in the prime of his athletic career.

Some teams may pause at adding his contract, while others with the cap space could welcome the addition.

By Jason Burgos

After earning his journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos served as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sucka ... More about Jason Burgos